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五官 (wǔ guān) — facial features; the five sense organs (nose, eyes, lips, tongue, ears) in traditional Chinese medicine

Definition

五官 means 'facial features' in everyday use; in TCM it specifically names the five sense organs (nose, eyes, lips, tongue, ears). 相貌 focuses on a person's overall looks, while 面貌 is more formal and often figurative (a place's 'face').

noun
facial featuresthe five sense organs (nose, eyes, lips, tongue, ears) in traditional Chinese medicine

Examples

  • 五官，。
    Tā de wǔ guān hěn duān zhèng, ràng rén yí kàn jiù jué de shū fu.
    His facial features are well-proportioned; people feel comfortable at first sight.
  • ，五官。
    Zài zhōng yī lǐ, wǔ guān yǔ wǔ zàng de jiàn kāng mì qiè xiāng guān.
    In traditional Chinese medicine, the five sense organs are closely related to the health of the five internal organs.
  • 五官，。
    Tā de wǔ guān zhǎng dé hěn jīng zhì, xiàng huà lǐ zǒu chū lái de rén.
    Her facial features are very delicate, like someone out of a painting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

五wǔfive
官guānorgan

五 counts five and 官 names organs, giving the five facial organs.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀mián
  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤

官 pairs 宀, a roof, with 𠂤, rooms beneath it, to depict an official building.

Open 官 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Body PartsSenses

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